New fashions, avatars, structures, and other builds. And the work behind them.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Avatar Review: Orange Nova Sergals

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

Sergal, the very mention of the name confuses a lot of non furries. However, when mentioned to furs, the first thing that used to pop in their minds, was KZK. The original makers of the Sergal Avatar.

However, recently, a new set of Sergal avatars have been created, and placed on the marketplace. Now, I know that they have every right to make an avatar and sell it, however, it's not the same when you make an avatar, that is already in SL, and call it the greatest.

Comparing the two Sergals, it's clear which one is best. Some people will tell you that the newer Orange Nova Sergals are best, while others will tell you that the older KZK Sergals are best. To find which one is better, I looked at both of them, and this is my conclusion of which is better.

First, look at the price. At Orange Nova, the avatars cost a whopping L$1,900 per avatar. A bit of a steep price considering what you really get. KZK wins this round, since their Sergals are actually affordable, at L$800, a whole L$1,100 less than the price of the Orange Novas.

Next, we will look at body shape. While the Orange Nova Sergals are taller than the KZK sergals, this was achieved by distorting parts of it. The neck is stretched a bit too much, and the mesh legs are stretched to the point of more comical than what most people look for. The point for this, also goes to KZK, due to their sergals having a more realistic shape.

The overall look of the avatars is what we will look at next. While they advertise it as being gorgeous, and high quality, the Orange Nova Sergals are more cartoony than furry. By this, I mean it looks as if they were meant more to be in a squash and stretch cartoon, than in SL. KZK wins this round as well, since their Sergal actually looks like a furry, and is not too detailed, but not too little detailed either.

Overall, KZK is the store to go with, not the Orange Nova, dare I say it, knock offs. If you don't believe me, then get both avatars, and have a look for yourself. If you really want a sergal, then like I said, go with KZK. They are cheaper, yet they are better looking.

2 comments:

Dude I'm a fan of the KzK sergals myself, but I don't understand how this is a comparative review.

The difference in pricing is due to one avatar being constructed entirely out of rigged mesh from the ground-up, with deformers and material effects, while the other is an avatar from around 2010, using sculpted components attached to the default body. That's something that should be accounted for.

The only other con you listed was down to stylistic preference. And if you look at a lot of the concept art for sergals (http://goldring.wikia.com/wiki/Sergals), the orange nova sergal taps into them more than the kzk does, as kzk aimed for a more humanoid body structure.

You didn't really discuss any other important aspects such as script usage, and ease of use or customization. What options or other products are available to enhance the avatars, or what little quirks they have.

Also KzK did not in any way invent sergals, so you can't go around calling other sergal avatars Knock-offs. Even if kzk did invent sergals, if the creator obtained permission to sell their own versions of the species, then you really have to reason to criticize them for it in the first place, even if the avatar doesn't quite meet your standards.

I respect your opinion, and don't mean to offend you with this post, but if you're recommending a product to people, your verdict shouldn't boil down to "this is superior because I like how it looks." especially without researching some source material first. That's not how you write a review.